January Training Camps Kick Off Busy 2008 for U.S. National Teams

NewsJan 2, 2008

CHICAGO (January 2, 2008) – As 2008 begins, U.S. Soccer will kick off the new year in full swing with a total of 11 Men’s, Women’s and Youth National Teams holding training camps during the month of January. The majority of the camps will take place in two locations: U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., and IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla. The HDC will be the most active location as a total of six different national teams will hold camps during the month, beginning on Thursday, Jan. 3 when the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams return to action.

Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has invited in 26 players for a two-week training camp that will culminate with their first match of 2008 against Sweden on Jan. 19 at The HDC. The friendly can be seen live on Fox Soccer Channel at 8:30 p.m. ET. After the Sweden match, the MNT will be back in camp at the HDC in late January as they prepare to take on Mexico on Feb. 6 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Sharing the fields at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center, the Women’s National Team will hold their second camp under head coach Pia Sundhage, before departing on Jan. 8 for the Four Nations Tournament in Foshan, China. Of the 27 players called in to train, including a mix of veterans and young players, 20 will be selected for the tournament roster. The U.S. will face Canada, Finland and the host country in their first games under Sundhage, who was appointed in November of 2007. The U.S. has their sights set on the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, with qualification taking place from April 2-13 in Mexico.

Across the country, Peter Nowak and the Under-23 Men’s National Team will be in Bradenton from Jan. 6-20, preparing for the CONCACAF Under-23 Men’s Championship in March, from which two teams will qualify for the Olympic Games in Beijing. Nowak has called in a squad of 24 players from the college, MLS and European club ranks in the first of two domestic camps that kick off in January, with the second being held at The Home Depot Center later this month.

Overlapping with the U-23s in Bradenton, will be camps for both the U-20 and U-18 Men’s National Teams. Bob Jenkins will hold a 72-player mega-camp from Jan. 17-24 for the Under-18s, while Thomas Rongen’s U-20 squad will arrive on Jan. 20 and train for four days before heading to Guadalajara, Mexico, for the Copa Chivas Tournament.

With both camps going on in the same location, Rongen and Jenkins will have the chance to look at nearly 100 eligible players for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. Before leaving for Mexico to compete in the tournament, Rongen will select a handful of the players in the U-18 camp round out the U-20 roster.

Two younger Men’s National Teams – the U-17s and U-15s – will also be in action during January. The U-17 Men’s National Team will kick off their spring semester on Jan. 8 at their home base of Bradenton, Fla., as Wilmer Cabrera begins to put his stamp on the team. While not training in Carson or Bradenton, the Under-15 Boy’s National Team will be in action as well when they head to Guadalajara from Jan. 20-27, with 36 players training under head coach Manny Schellscheidt.

On the women’s youth front, Under-17 coach Kaz Tambi has already begun training with 26 players in Sunrise, Fla., in early preparations for FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying in May. On Jan. 24, the Under-17s will travel to the 2008 World Cup host country for the Future Stars Tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup takes place in New Zealand from Oct. 30-Nov. 16, 2008.

The Under-20 Women’s National Team is also in the early stages of preparation for FIFA World Cup qualifying with head coach Jillian Ellis holding a nine-day camp from Jan. 12-20. CONCACAF Qualifying will be held this summer, with Chile hosting the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup from Nov. 20-Dec. 7, 2008. The Under-23 Women’s National Team head coach Bill Irwin will also be in Carson with 28 players from Jan. 12-20, and the Under-15 Girls will take over the complex from Jan. 20-25, with head coach Tad Bobak calling in 28 players.

For up-to-date information on all of the National Teams action throughout an action-packed year, stay tuned to ussoccer.com.